Salas' lead over Vargas narrows in Democratic primary

65 votes separate potential candidates for state Senate

Mary Salas’ once-apparent primary election victory in a South Bay Democratic state Senate race with Juan Vargas has turned into a toss up.

A mere 65 votes separates Assemblywoman Salas of Chula Vista and former Assemblyman Vargas of San Diego in the 40th Senate District, according to the California Secretary of State’s office Friday morning.

The counting of remaining absentee and provisional ballots will continue into early next week, and updates are expected late Friday and Monday. That means the lead could continue to shift in the district, which stretches from southern San Diego County to include portions of Imperial and Riverside counties.

Just days after the June 8 election, Salas’ slim lead grew, giving her enough comfort to declare victory and even make the rounds in Sacramento as the apparent nominee. It is widely assumed that the winner of this race is likely to win the heavily Democratic district in November against Republican Brian Hendry.

A spokeswoman for Secretary of State Debra Bowen said counties are expected to wrap up their vote counting next week and certify their totals by July 6. The state has until July 16 to certify the tallies.

Salas held a strong lead in San Diego County, where most of the district is located. She led by less than 100 votes in Riverside County, but Vargas had a substantial lead in Imperial County.

The race between Salas and Vargas was one of the closest and most vitriolic of all legislative races in June.

Vargas benefited from high-spending independent campaigns waged by corporations and insurance companies. However, his campaign pointed out that Salas received backing from many of the same industries.